Mary Star High girls volleyball senior libero Hope Marinkovich and sophomore outside hitter Lexi Andrie both know it has been five years since the Stars last won a league championship, since they've been childhood best friends and have been around the school for so long.

Besides, Marinkovich's father Mike is the head coach of the football team, and Andrie's father Dino is an assistant.

Both Marinkovich and Andrie have brought a little coach's mentality to a relatively young team of just ten players and after a rough start, the Stars are now one match away from winning their first league crown since winning the Camino Real League title in 2009. Mary Star hosts St. Mary's Academy of Inglewood tonight at 6 with at least a share of the Santa Fe League championship on the line.

"I've been helping out with the football team basically since I was a baby," Marinkovich says of her lifelong experience of being on the football field with the sideline crew alongside Andrie. "It's like a way of life. They're a great group of boys and I'm really proud of them."

Marinkovich, who started playing volleyball since middle school at Holy Trinity, and Andrie who started playing volleyball at 5th grade and is a club volleyball player now, have been best friends since birth.

"It's going to be sad not having Hope around after this year," Andrie says. "We've been on the football field together ever since we were little."

Marinkovich is the one opposing teams target the most when serving since she's the only one wearing a different colored jersey than her other teammates since as a libero, you're only allowed to play in the back row. However, Marinkovich has been up to the challenge and then some, leading Mary Star (13-10 overall, 8-1 league) in digs while keeping several long rallies alive.

Andrie on the other hand, takes a little offense to the other schools picking on her best friend by delivering kill after kill and creating some free points for the Stars with a devastating jump serve. Andrie is second on the team in kills behind fellow sophomore outside hitter Ally Spillane and second in aces behind sophomore setter Angela Pisano.

The best friend duo both said their two Santa Fe League matches against St. Genevieve have been their most favorite playing together thus far, as the Stars split the series with the fellow co-league leader Valiants.

"(St. Genevieve) really made us work hard as a team and have been our closest opponent," Marinkovich says.

Andrie adds: "The other teams in (the Santa Fe) league really haven't been that competitive against us but St. Genevieve really made us work for it. We lost to them in five the first time but we got them back at their place."

Of course Andrie was referring to last Wednesday's 25-12, 25-20, 14-25, 25-19 victory over St. Genevieve where Andrie delivered 13 kills, eight of them during the crucial second set. It was a great comeback for Andrie after only registering five kills and had nine attack errors in the first meeting with the Valiants. Marinkovich had 19 digs in the victory.

Not only are the two great students, they're also two-sport athletes.

Andrie also plays softball, while Marinkovich runs on the track and field team.

"I love running," Marinkovich says. "I've been with the team since my freshman year and I think we're really going to have a good season."

Andrie on the 2015 softball season: "We have a lot of competitive teams (in the Camino Real League) to play against next year and I'm looking forward to playing our rival Bishop Montgomery. I think we're really going to have a great season."

But in the meantime, Andrie and Marinkovich are both looking to have an even greater time tonight with the rest of their Stars volleyball teammates.